1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to housings for small electrical appliances, and particularly, to a snap-together housing for an electronic air cleaner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Small electrical appliances intended for use in the home are usually provided with a housing which is inexpensive but which must also be functional, attractive in appearance, and safe during use. A typical small appliance having a requirement for such a housing is an electronic air cleaner.
An electronic air cleaner typically comprises, in addition to the afore-mentioned housing, a blower powered by an electric motor. The blower takes in room ambient air and passes it through filtering media contained within the housing before exhausting the filtered air back into the room.
The cleaner may also include means for scenting the air with a pleasant odor, as well as means for ionizing the air passing through it such that the ionized air, in turn, ionizes particles of dirt with which it comes into contact, thereby causing them to adhere to the walls and ceiling of the room or to the filtering media.
Finally, the cleaner must include some means for actuating the blower and selecting its speed, and for turning the oderizing and/or ionizing means on and off.
Thus, it may be seen that the components of a typical air cleaner can impose unique demands upon its housing relative to other types of appliances in terms of the manner in which their respective components are housed and held in working juxtaposition.
This invention discloses and claims a novel housing for a small electrical appliance that is particularly suitable for use with an electronic air cleaner as described above. The housing is easily and inexpensively manufactured and assembled, yet is light, compact, rugged, and safe in use.